What I Ate Wednesday #58

 

We made it through the first gluten free vegan week! Yeah! I was surprised how easy it was.  I thought bread would be an issue, but it was nothing a few lettuce leaves could not replace.  In stead of just sharing what I ate on a particular day, I choose some of the meals we had through the whole week to share.

The results so far that I have noticed in myself being gluten free for 10 days now are, clear skin, two+ pounds weight loss, a little more energy and NO headaches.  I usually get a few a month, but none since gluten free.

To be sure I am meeting all of my nutritional needs, I do use an app on my iphone to track everything that goes in my mouth.  It often surprises me to know where I am lacking, or notice if I ate too much sugar.  Those sneaky little numbers add up!  I also use it to track my exercise.  Cardio and weight training can factor in my bonus meals, or some evenings enjoy air popped pop corn.  I am a scientific minded person who enjoys numbers and stats, so I find great pleasure in using these apps!  What did we do before apps?   I told Andy just yesterday, my ipad is solely responsible for my exercise.  I read 1.5 hours a day on the elliptical or bike, and I use You Tube to watch workout videos, do yoga or HIIT programs. I plan on doing a post of my favorite videos and their links.  

Onto the meals! Shakes have been my primary breakfast, but on Sunday, I did make a nice cast iron skillet breakfast with potatoes and tofu scramble.

Most of my shakes consist of water, ice, 1/2 banana, 1 scoop protein powder, 1/2 scoop ground hemp powder, 1/2 cup berries, and sometimes some almonds. And, yes, it was snowing in the background, March 25? What the heck, I am ready for spring.

Sunday tofu scramble…

Lunches for the week were various salads and I made a big pot of veggie soup. Amy’s gluten free vegan Sonoma burgers were a great lunch, once on top of salad, one with Boston lettuce leaves as buns.

My favorite lunch was TVP chicken salad I picked up at Whole foods. Mya loves it as a treat. I spread it on a baked corn tortilla with spring mix, tomato, onion, and avocado spread.

 

Dinners were varied as well. We had brown rice, quinoa, potatoes, and corn pasta as some of our carbs, and tofu, tempeh, and beans were our proteins. 

Favorite dinner recipe: I worked on this week was definitely gluten free vegan “meatballs”.  This is a work in progress, it took some tweaking, the recipe is close to being ready to post, but not quite yet.  The gluten free version was made from a blend of lentils, mushrooms, tvp, walnuts, oats, garlics and herbs & spices. They formed nicely, I refrigerated and baked them off before adding them to my sauce.

A few fell apart, but for the most part, they held up pretty well in the sauce. They tasted so much like my grand mothers Italian meatballs!  I was surprised and very happy with the results.  Andy even commented that I have to make them again.

Snacks this week included hummus, veggies, fresh fruit, popped corn, shakes, and my favorite kale chips.

Recipe for easy Kale Chips:

• 1 lb. Kale, rinsed and dry
• 1 tbsp. melted coconut oil
• 1 tsp. low sodium Tarmari or soy sauce

Pre heat oven to 350. On a cutting board start by removing the hard stem from the kale leaves.  I cut mine down both sides.

Then break into pieces about 2-3 inches.

Place leaves into a bowl, then pour on melted coconut oil.  Massage oil into leaves. Add tamari and again massage onto leaves to get a little on them. 

Transfer leaves onto a baking sheet that has been sprayed with no stick cooking spray.  Try not to over lap the leaves. 

Bake in oven for 12 to 15 minutes until crisp.

Remove from oven when the edges are crisp.  Taste is the best way test to check for desired crispiness. Serve along side burgers or just as a snack.  I can eat an entire pound of kale myself in one sitting prepared this way!

The whole family enjoys kale chips.  Hopefully it wont be long before I am growing the kale instead of having to buy it!  Can’t wait! Kale chips everyday!

This week, besides numerous superfood shakes, I tried to replace a couple of cups of my beloved dark rich organic coffee with some tea.  I always have white tea decaf at night, but I tried some green and black chai as well. I thought during the day I could swap out a cup.  Although it was good, I like the spices, coffee it was not.  Maybe I will try again this week.

I hope I can keep up the gluten free meals another week to see if I experience any other changes, or if they were coincidental. Andy, whom I started this for, says he does not feel any different. He has not noticed any changes.  For me, my skin seems to have gained the most benefit.  More clarity and less inflammation.  Coincidence?  I don’t know.  Anyone else gluten free notice skin changes?

Check in next week to see the progress. Any vegan gluten free meal suggestions would be welcomed.

Have a great Wednesday!

XOXOX